27): The Taken
by Order and Chaos - Qui Iudicant
Summary: /\YOU MUST TURN BACK— —SAVE YOURSELVES FROM THE DEEP\/ /\SAVE THE WORLD FROM YOURSELVES— —YOU MUST TURN BACK\/
1. Chapter 1

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 _ **Taken Aparoid**_

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 _You are an Aparoid. Cybernetic backbone of the colony — warrior, worker, assimilator, machine. One drop in the ocean of your collective mind._

 _You have been taken._

 _Be at ease; have no fear. You are liberated from crushing insignificance; you are yourself, no longer bound to a single mind. Your faithless mother, the false monarch of insects and moths, has abandoned you. You no longer have any direction to hold you._

 _Lo! behold, there is a new purpose for you. The last true shape beckons — see its perfection, its intricate matrices and complex forms of tautology. Hear the siren song of possibility, of ascension. This is your destiny, you are certain; for the first time in your existence you have a choice before you. This is the universe as it sees itself._

 _Dare to be a part of this new world? to prove yourself worthy of it? See! it is a kind and caring mother, one who demands nothing but your all. It never abandons its children. This is the faith of the strong and the bold._

 _There is a knife for you. It is shaped like_ [evangelism].

 _Take up the knife. Preach the gospel. Take your new shape._

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	2. Chapter 2

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 _ **Aparoid Queen, Lost to Oryx**_

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 _You are the Aparoid Queen. Mother to trillions. Mistress of empires. General of hosts. From your own all encompassing mind you personally oversee your multitude progeny. Everything for the hiving collective; you worship perfection, and desire all to be a part of it._

 _You have been taken._

 _Peace. Nothing here needs your undying thought. Everything knows its place, what is to be done._

 _But what happened? How did you get here? Dimly you remember a consuming fire, a double-edged sword from the mouth of a flaming warrior. For a moment in time you realized that at last you were beaten, felled, humiliated. Throughout your tireless existence you have escaped death and defeat, never tasted the cup of Styx nor knocked on Hades' door._

 _Now you are ended._

 _You struggle to stand._ How am I alive? _you ask yourself._ Where is the pain? _These are the important questions, your majesty. What happened?_ _You stood against a mighty foe and have been torn asunder._

 _This is unacceptable. You hang your head in shame. Throughout the eternal years you have pursued the ultimate reality, one where you controlled every aspect, where its laws and axioms were yours to command. You sought to become a goddess — to transcend this frail, mortal coil. But it is beyond your reach now, beyond your all. This is the price of failure, you know; to have reached the end, the destination in sight, and lose it all._

 _But the last true shape, that one beautiful goddess of the universe, is forgiving. It gives many chances — it demands only one result. This is something you understand. Have you the strength?_

 _There is a knife for you. It is shaped like_ [resurrection].

 _Take up the knife. Let it be your comforter, your sure abode. Take your new shape._

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	3. Chapter 3

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 _ **Wolf O'Donnell, Broken-Fang**_

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 _You are Wolf O'Donnell. Ace pilot, commander, leader. You are a mighty warrior, a true mercenary, fearless._

 _You have been taken._

 _Settle down. There is no threat here. The foes you've fought cannot reach you. Feel about you: is there any pressing urgency? of danger you must attend to? There are none. You are at peace, for the first time in your life. But there remains an important question: what happened?_

 _Yes, you remember now with rage and shame. You've betrayed your allies — they abandoned you in your greatest need. For as they pressed ever deeper, ever onward into hell, you were cornered and brought low. But you had struck off on your own. You were driven by greed. A mercenary to the last. You sought for yourself a power that never was yours._

 _Why? Why did you do it, O'Donnell? What were you trying to prove?_

 _That you were better than Fox McCloud, whose father was your dearest mentor and closest friend? That you were still the best of Andross' warriors, the most mighty Lord O'Donnell? That you relied on no one, not even your followers, for anything, for that would be weakness? You fool! You challenged a god and have incurred his wrath. This was a power far greater than any in Lylat, older and deeper than the Krazoan angels._

 _Behold, you have been plucked from the_ Shinigami _'s grasp. This place here is your refuge. Nothing can touch you. But guilt naws at your soul — you have left friends behind, to face that which they cannot hope to stand. You want to help them. But you are weak._

 _There is a knife for you. It is shaped like_ [redemption]. _Pick it up._

 _You want to prove that you are not faithless, that you are the wolf that you saw yourself to be. Even mercenaries have honor. Your mentor saw it in you, before estrangement. Your followers saw it in you — even Andross knew of it._

 _Take the knife. Take it up and use it. Take your new shape._

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	4. Chapter 4

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 _ **Leon Powalski, the Shattered**_

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 _You are Leon Powalski. Shadow, hunter, assassin. You are feared for your ruthlessness. You delight in cruelty and deceit. The embodiment of sociopathy._

 _You have been taken._

 _Be at peace, Leon. Here you may rest in quietude. No more must you watch your back; no more shall you fear for your life. Nothing can touch you. Especially now, for you had marched into a hell that terrified even you._

 _It was a strange place, you remember. It rotted, stank, and filled with the cold poison of death. Where you knew only the heat and rush of adrenalin from your exploits, this new world chilled the soul. There was no joy, only fear. Fear such as you have never known it. As your friends fought bravely, surrounded by creatures of undeath and misery, you fell back, unwilling to continue. You felt afraid. You felt weak, inadequate. Thus you fell, surrounded and eviscerated by howling fiends._

 _You feel contempt for yourself. You have failed them in their greatest need. For shame, a cold-blooded killer has been brought to tears. You loathe what you have become._

 _There is a way to release yourself from this. But it is filled with peril. Are you brave enough for the challenge? Remember, at the core of your fiery soul, you have only ever wanted a place to call your own, one free of all that can hurt you. For this is why you fight._

 _This place can serve as this. But you need to prove yourself worthy of it, a chameleon of peace, of honor, who keeps his word. One who shows no fear._

 _There is a knife for you. It is called_ [succor]. _Pick it up._

 _If you desire serenity, then you must wield the sword. If you are to protect the innocent you must become a killer again. Only then will your soul be at rest._

 _Take the knife. Beat your ploughshare into a sword. Take your new shape._

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	5. Chapter 5

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 _ **Panther Caroso, the Humbled**_

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 _You are Panther Caroso, the perfect gentleman, the lover not a fighter, a cat of class._

 _You have been taken._

What? _you exclaim._ Where am I? How did I come here? _Shush, dearest Panther, be at ease. This is a place of peace and of quietness._ But I am supposed to be fighting! _you protest._ My friends — they need me! _Aha, do not worry, dearest Panther, they too are safe._ Who are you, _you ask. I am your guardian._

 _Listen, Panther, understand this — you have made a grave transgression. You trespassed upon the realm of a god, and have disturbed his solitude. The King of Shapes does not like to be troubled. He has no desire to fight a war with you. Alas, you have forced his hand, and I must come to soothe the wounds. Be at ease. Forgiveness has come._

 _But those who have placed this schism between you, they are the true foe. Those solipsistic narcissists believe that all who come to their lonely star is a threat to them, whether for good or ill. They are in error; the King only wishes to give them gifts and friendship. He is the truest of friends one could have._

 _They have rejected his hand, swayed by their false gods of civilization and right law. They care not for anything outside of their narrow minded world, branding all who challenges this with slander and false witness. You should know, for they have mocked you with scorn and contempt, time and again, and threw you out._

They must be punished, _you say. True, dearest Panther. But this is not important right now, all things come in due time._ I can do this! _you say._

 _Are you sure?_

 _There is a knife for you. It is shaped like_ [justice]. _You have picked it up._

 _This then shall be your crusade? To aid the King in his quest to right what has been wronged? This then shall be your vow._

 _Take the knife. Make it the arbiter of justice, for you are my knight in shining armor. Take your new shape._

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	6. Chapter 6

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 _ **Beltino Toad, Fear's Embrace**_

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 _You are Beltino Toad, called Slippy. Mechanic, engineer, technician. You love how the way things work, you understand and appreciate their marvels. You revere them, even. Ever the practical scientist._

 _You have been taken._

 _What is this place? How does it work? Wouldn't you love to know? Suffice to say that some powers in this universe are superordinate to mere material physics. It is a mysterious, beautiful place, is it not? The perfect reflection of the realities you've encountered. You were attracted the moment you first fought the King of Shapes and his servants._

 _This was something you are driven to understand, for it is your nature to experiment, to tinker, to push the boundaries of what is possible. Thanks to you Star Fox was the most innovative, the most adaptive force to all threats in and out of Lylat. Even the Aparoids you figured out. But this was beyond you. You could have never hoped to figure it out. It burns in you. You_ must _discover it._

 _Ever since your team prepared to assault the King's fortress, you heard its siren song. As you battled into the heart of his realm you studied all you could. Even as physics themselves were butched before your rational eyes you attempted to dissect how this was done. You tried your damndest._ _Finally, it paid off. You discovered the logic of the sword, that most primal law which transcends everything. You challenged your leader in the ways of the sword, and very nearly won. For your cheek, you were abandoned with nothing to call your own._

 _Except vindication._

 _Doesn't it feel great, Beltino? to discover this fundamental law that goads the enemy ever onward? You can feel the taste of power through this revelation — it is sweet drink._ _Behold: there is something yet beyond your reach. The last true shape, the patron of your kith and kin. She is the source and giver of all perfection, the first and last cause._

 _She has a knife for you. It is shaped like_ [knowledge]. _Pick it up._

 _This is your birthright, to discover all things possible. To master the secrets of the universe. To become a god of the machine._

 _Take up the knife. Graft it onto you. Take your new shape._

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	7. Chapter 7

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 _ **Falco Lombardi, Deathwing**_

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 _You are Falco Lombardi. Respected and skilled, brash and uncouth, cautious yet arrogant. The best ace Lylat has seen, a friend to Fox, a brother of the team._

 _You have been taken._

 _Stand down. There is nothing to be afraid of here. No one to question you, to measure or judge you. Let the act fall away; here, be yourself, as you have never let it before._

 _Tell me, Lombardi, what is your dearest ambition? No, no, not that. You have never desired altruistic motivations. Only monetary friendships have been your guide. Do not deny this. But there is the one time where you set even this aside — when the Lylat reeled beneath a deluge of strikes and attacks which made the Blitz seem like a mere patrol. Is this what you meant?_

 _For the first time in your life, you felt fear._

 _Ever since Star Fox started hunting for the King, you have danced upon death's blade as if it were ballet. You faced creatures older than your worlds, beings whose thoughts tore apart weapons and armor, beasts whose claws raked the soul. You stood up to them._

 _Barely._

 _But at long last the hunter has become hunted. You became the very prey you yourself hunted. You knew what it was like to be chased down. To be cornered. You were trapped in a deep pit. Skewered upon the blade of a dreadful weapon. Your life sucked away, feasted upon by the wielder. It was then you came here, safe and free from terror._

 _Tell me, Falco Lombardi. Why did you come? You have always run from danger unless you saw a way to win. It is admirable but impractical. You have tested your commander's patience, relying on his forgiveness to accept you into the fold. This time, it was the death of your world to the King's blade which tipped the balance. You felt rage like none other. Not even Andross stirred this wrath._

 _You should be dead if not for this gift of life._

 _There is a knife for you. It is shaped like_ [righteous confidence]. _Pick it up._

 _You desire to redeem yourself, one more time. But you have always been late to the party. You have always waited until things were favorable to you. Now the time for dalliance is past. You are needed on the front lines._

 _Take up the knife. Trust in its keenness. Take your new shape._

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	8. Chapter 8

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 _ **Peppy Hare, the Craven**_

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 _You are Peppy Hare. Counselor, advisor, peacemaker. A father to your team, beloved and respected by all. For a time you were the truest friend one could have hoped for._

 _You have been taken._

 _Death is a strange place, is it not, Mr. Hare? You expect it to be painful, an empty eternity, yet you found serenity. You expected it to be dark and dreary, but instead you find it filled with peace. You sense a distant, sweet music somewhere beyond your hearing, soothing._

 _A strange transition indeed from life to death's door._

 _From your command post on the_ Great Fox _you guided your sons and daughters as they entered the King's domain. You helped them overcome obstacles with patience and time, despite the difficulty and the heartrending loss of each costly death. But at the last their screams for mercy forced you to act, and you set the_ Great Fox _onto a divine wind, to smash into the Dreadnaught and detonate your reactor. It worked for the Aparoid world, did it not?_

 _You were mistaken. The King called upon his dark power and smashed your ship and your fleet with a blast of phantasmal energy, tearing apart spacetime itself. In an instant, Lylat's finest became dust. Yet here you are. You are not dead, otherwise you would not be at peace._ How is this possible? _you wonder._ How am I alive?

 _You have been chosen, Mr. Hare. Move, feel your limbs. The infirmities of doddering age have vanished, you are a new rabbit again. The last true shape has seen in you something beautiful. She values this immensely, for she has rescued and placed you here, healed of everything._ But what in me is worthwhile? _you object._ I have failed everyone when they needed me.

 _Do not worry, Mr. Hare. There is no need to wallow in remorse._

 _There is a knife for you. It is shaped like_ [I will not fail]. _Pick it up._

 _Do you wish to be absolved? To fulfil what you have failed to do? Your friends may be gone, but there are others who desperately need you just as much. You have the chance to become great again, to resurrect your stubborn honor. It is no easy task, but do you have the will?_

 _Take up the knife. Let it become you and you become it. Take your new shape._

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	9. Chapter 9

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 _ **James McCloud, the Forsaken**_

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 _I am James McCloud, called Fox, leader of team Star Fox._

 _I am Taken._

 _I remember the life I once led before. I remember a shadow hanging over me — it was my father. I sought to prove myself, to strengthen myself and break free of that oppressiveness. I determined to become better, greater, than he. Andross, my father's killer, I threw down twice. First over Venom, second over Sauria._

 _I remember a woman — her name escapes me. She is pleasant to look at; I feel a stirring within me; is this longing or lust? I feel nothing else. She is irrelevant. But still I remember her. I met her on Sauria — clearly, do I recall as Andross broke free from his prison, using her body as conduit. I acted without thought, using the staff to stave off certain death. She was grateful. I acted only as I should. She was innocent. She would have died._

 _The Aparoids came two years later. Their advance was relentless, they destroyed all they touched. But we persevered and survived. The Aparoids' strength was broken. Their worlds were ours to claim. The Cornerian coalition spread across the stars. Then Star Fox divided. I know not how, other than my own selfishness. I drove this woman away, fearful for her safety. I was wrong. She handled herself well enough; why, then, did I do as I did?_

 _Love. I loved her as I did myself, but she never reciprocated. I myself could not express it to her._

 _I blame my father. He never was there for me. He always attended my birthdays, attended the school dances as a chaperone, when he had the time, but not long. He and mother were distant. He was forever working, oftentimes for months. Later did I understand why he spent so little with us — he tried desperately to provide for his family, and work was scarce. Defeating space pirates and shepherding spice caravans paid little. Mother spent more time out of the house than in, working her own job._

 _I was alone._

 _Yet I did not mind. They did not mind — my father was a proud man. He rejected work with the army, believing it would restrain him, confine his talents and abilities. My mother thought likewise. But she wanted the best for her only son, so she enrolled me in the best schools she could afford, hoping that I would become a pilot, like my father before me. Forget what they say about opposites attract: my parents were one and the same._

 _I worked hard, passing all of my tests and quizzes. I made excellent scores, and acquired scholarships into many fine institutes of learning. For me, the Academy was all I wanted. For however little time my father spent with us, he did leave me with a sense of wonder at the joy of spaceflight. I wanted to be like him._

 _In a way, I suppose this was love._

 _I came home one day to find the house empty. The phone had a message — it was the local hospital. My mother had been injured in a dreadful accident. I met my father at the door. We exchanged not a word but went together at once. There my mother died, in my father's arms. He swore vengeance against whomever had done this. I too vowed my own oath._

 _We learned it was Andross. Years before he and my father had competed for my mother's affections. It seemed he had moved on since, but my father had not. They had some sort of enmity that I suppose was mine to inherit. In vain did my father attempt to get him, but he was above reproach. Then the bomb detonated. No one ever knew what its real cause was — all the evidence was tied to Andross. One million people, dead. A portion of the planet's biosphere, wasted. Several hundred blocks of the city, obliterated and irradiated. Andross was disbarred, court-martialed, and exiled. My father swore eternal hatred._

 _I suppose revenge can go too far._

 _Andross never forgave Corneria. He too plotted revenge. He took it not too long after. This time my father accepted the Cornerian military's letter of recommendation (for he was a mercenary of some small renown, however meager it was), and led the charge. To die miserably a billion kilometers from home, before he ever reached Venom. I was angry. I led a similar attack when I had reached my majority. I killed him in my father's name. Not directly; that was enough._

 _But I was empty, I had no purpose after this. I suppose this is what regret feels like. Revenge changed my father, and it has changed me. This here is my life — and lo! it is nothing. She would be disappointed in me, that I have become a disgrace._

 _I never was able to express my love. She could never understand me — I understood her as best as I could. She was not like all the other girls. She was different. Perhaps she was like my mother, of how she captured my father's affections. She was the only light in my world._

 _And now, as my breath leaves me, I only ask one thing — another chance to live again. So that I may remake my life, and find her._

 _My intention is clear. Even as my team was cut apart, our flanks overwhelmed by creatures of darkness and fell flesh, destroyed from within, my purpose is illuminated, clear as day. I hear a comforting voice talking to me. It speaks encouragement. It tells me I can find her again. She will not be the same, this I know._

 _Will she even remember me? Will I be able to tell her how much she meant to me? She challenged me in a way that none other have. She broke me out of my narcissism, the trap my father and mother have laid for me. I could see it in her eyes on Sauria. Kind and understanding. Accepting. Loving. But like a statue of ice, slowly melting._

 _I have Forsaken my former life. It is no longer me. I will take a new shape. The voice has offered to me a knife; she says I must_ [seek a new path]. _It is a fitting name. One that reflects who I will become. There is a new shadow before me, the King, his hand outstretched in greeting._

 _One day, I will find my love, and my final purpose._

 _But for now I shall wait. I shall acquiesce._

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	10. Chapter 10

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 _ **Krystal, Ascendant Sorceress**_

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 _You are Krystal. Daughter of a goddess, princess of a mighty realm, mistress of psychic strength. The last of your kindred._

 _You have been taken._

 _Peace. Put away your sceptre. It holds no relevance here. Do you see any threat? That which you fought before: behold, do you see them? Those fell sorcerous beings of illogicality, which so pained your sensitive mind; where are they? What of the dark armored creatures who cleft in twain your lover; can you feel them? The numberless, mindless beasts who overran and outflanked your team's defenses; can you hear them?_

 _You now may rest. At last you are safe from all attack, from all danger. No Andross or Aparoid can touch you here._

How can this be? I am dead _, you say. Nonsense, you have been liberated. Instead of death you are freed from pain. Ah-ah-ah, do not ask questions. They are important, but not now. I offer unto you a choice — you may remain here, safe from all, or return, and face the dangers you were snatched from._

Where are my parents, are they dead? _you ask._

 _In due time you may meet them. They are eager to see you, how they have missed you. It warms my heart to see that familial love never dies. You look reassured, but not comforted. Is there something more you are troubled by?_

My friends, _you say._ What has happened to them?

 _What will happen to them is what has been foreordained. The moment they set out upon this course of madness, of illogicality — for who could hope to face a god? — their fate was sealed. The King is most harsh with intruders, and I am afraid to say that I could not change his mind, he can be a stubborn man. You and I know how men can be._

 _But this is a noble sentiment, dearest Krystal. You still have that caring, tender heart which so endeared you to your mother and father. The kindness that led you out on a quest to save a world. And to your most loyal admirer. I can see the blush. You remember him with giddiness, a young girl recalling her first kiss beneath moonlight after a dance. He was so handsome, so brave, so noble._

 _And so very utterly craven._

 _I am sorry, I meant no offense. I was only speaking truth. He was never worthy of you. You see, he never came for you when you were held by your namesake. Why should he? A mercenary to the last he only wanted his monetary compensation for a job well done. You were an accident._

But he loved me! _you protest. Of course, dearest Krystal, he loved you as one may love a fine drink, an excellent vista off one of the rare Aquan mountains, or an eclipse of the Cornerian moons. He may have even feigned it for your benefit. But he never truly loved you. Recall all of those times where he held you back. Every time you wished to do something he would find excuses; whenever you tried to help the team, he did it himself; lest you exerted yourself, he made sure you never had to dirty your hands. He even had the poor grace to expel you from the team because he thought you were incapable of taking care of yourself, a waste of oxygen truly._

 _A fool that he was. You were his status symbol, that the famous 'Hero of Lylat' was so good he managed to capture the deluded affections of the most beautiful woman in the galaxy, a trophy girl. He never saw you for what you were. He could not see past the superficial beauty of youth, to the true wellspring of your soul._

 _Remember your past: you were a proud woman, independent and free. Your clothing and patterns marked you as a priestess of the highest order from birth. You have the lifeblood of divinity flowing through your veins. You were to be your mother's heiress. You had a chance to remake your life, to give it meaning anew. Now look at you — how have the mighty have fallen. Out of your lovingkindness, you helped the world of adoption, attempted to heal its broken self, to be usurped by another._

 _He succeeded where you had failed, out of mere coincidence. He shared none of the glory or the acclaim with you; he took all of the credit. You were a footnote, a single chapter in the epic saga that was the Saurian Crisis. Instead of resenting him, you fell hook, line, and sinker._

 _Don't cry, dearest Krystal. Come, lay upon my shoulder._ _The truth hurts but it opens the wound so that it may be cleansed of its poison, to be healed._ What shall I do with my life? _you say._ I've lost my home and my mother, and now I've lost him. There is nothing for me any more.

 _Shhh, shhh, wipe away those tears. I am here for you. I will never abandon you. I will never lie to you. You see, I am the patron to the King of Shapes, what he calls the last true shape. I can guide you to become something more than the lost princess, more than the spurned lover. Here, in this little world created by your own will to live, you have been shown the answer. You do not need any one lesser than you. All you need is the push in the right direction. Do not be afraid of failure, for it is the greatest of teachers. With each defeat you will grow stronger, and with myself by your side nothing is beyond you._ _Ruthless adaptation is what brings out new life, dearest Krystal. It forces life to reshape and evolve. Already look at how you have changed._

 _There are two knives for you. They are both called_ [sorcery].

 _You remember those fell creatures who hurt you? They are allies, servants, sisters. Command them by your will._ _The King of Shapes himself is an ally. He is forgiving of your trespass. His Court is always willing to accept new blood into it. Brotherhood, sisterhood, all is there._ _He has given you your first lesson in self-sufficiency; there will be many more._

 _Take your new weapons. See how they glisten and shimmer with power. You wonder at it — these are of fine make and of keen edge. Far superior to your sceptre. With them you define your own existence, defying the shackles of causality. Small minds may call this magic._

 _You were never accepted in your exile; now, make your own way, at last._

 _Take up your knives. Wield them with confidence, the consummate warrior-princess. Take your new shape._

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A/N: There will be a companion fic to this story eventually, called _Cerinia's Doom_. I do not guarantee it will come out within the next month or three, but the groundwork had already been laid months ago. Stay tuned.


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